G.A.S. and Fenders

So I thought I had my latest G.A.S. attack under control with the addition of a new amp, and a new (cheap) 4 string.

Unfortunately, I'm finding myself wanting a P-J bass, for some unknown reason.

It starts with me looking at bassnw, basspalace, bassalone, etc. Then, I'm checking out the classifieds at bassgear.com, harmonycentral, and craigslist.

Then, before I know it, I'm at various Guitar Centers, trying not to feel unclean for shopping at the Walmart of music stores.

I have a Heartfield DR 5 that lets me get good Jazz sounds. I have an old, beat up Peavey Foundation bass that I've converted to fretless. It plays great and sounds ok. I'd like to upgrade the pickups someday. I have an el cheapo Jay Turser Stingray copy that I got to satisfy my urge to get a fretted 4 string.

Now I want a P-J bass.

I played a new Fender Hot Rod in Natural (with a gold pick guard, even though it was made in the USA). It was super nice, and the tone was great. This is probably the bass that I want. I just don't want to pay $1100 for it.

I played a MIM Pbass Special right after the Hot Rod. It had a Jazz neck and was candy apple red. This is also a really nice instrument. It didn't have quite the bottom end of the Hot rod, and the jazz pickup didn't have quite the same bite, but it sounded good.

I tried an older P-J bass from the eighties (I think) with Lace Sensors, pickup selector switch, and midboost button. It sounded pretty thin, and even with the mid boost, I couldn't get the kind of dirt or growl I'm looking for.

I played a new MIM Deluxe Jazz bass (active) with the 4 pole pickups. Man! What a nice bass. I'm definitely more in the Jazz bass camp, so I'm biased, but this basss was seriously nice. The price was under $500 - a bargain IMHO. I couldn't really justify it, though because my Heartfield does a good job with Jazz tones.

I played a MIJ '75 reissue Jazz just for kicks. It's a beuatiful instrument, but again, hard to justify.

Actually, any purchase is hard for me to justify, but I really would like a bass that gets both P and J tones. I know, it's the same quandry everyone gets into...

Funny thing is, sometimes I can convince mysel f that the neck pickup on the Deluxe Jazz sounds like a P-bass, esp if you tweak the EQ...

Maybe the MIM P-bass Special with a preamp???

I'm trying not to buy, but I'm slipping..

Help!!!

-Shin

 

That*is*strange. My Foundation has a tiny neck. Sometimes I think it's too small.

-Shin